Met Gala unveils new theme after Galliano controversy
NEW YORK, United States — New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art on Thursday announced a new theme for the exhibition accompanying its prestigious annual Met Gala, after scrapping a planned retrospective of British designer John Galliano amid controversy over his past anti-Semitic remarks.
Running from May 9, 2027, to January 9, 2028, the exhibition, titled extraORDINARY, "will examine how design reveals unexpected possibilities within everyday things," the renowned New York museum said in a press release.
The exhibition was initially planned as a retrospective of Galliano, but the designer and the museum announced in late August that it would not go ahead, following criticism from donors and political figures over the fashion designer's past comments.
"After much reflection and discussion with all those involved, I have decided, with great sadness, that it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time," Galliano, 65, wrote on Instagram then.
"I remain fully accountable for the pain caused by my words in the past, particularly the hurt I caused to the Jewish and Asian communities, and I remain deeply sorry," he added.
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Galliano, who served as creative director of Christian Dior from 1996 to 2011 and is widely regarded as one of his generation's most talented designers, saw his career collapse after making antisemitic remarks to customers at a Paris bar. He was subsequently convicted by a French court over the incident.
After a period of rehabilitation and personal work, he found a new home at the discreet but influential fashion house Maison Margiela. He served as the label's creative director for a decade, leaving in 2024.
In March 2026, he announced a two-year artistic partnership with Spanish fashion retailer Zara.
The Met's annual Costume Institute exhibition is largely funded by its star-studded gala, which draws leading figures from fashion and entertainment. The 2027 edition of the event is scheduled for May 3.
"The ordinary is never quite as simple as it appears," said Andrew Bolton, curator at the Met's Costume Institute. "A pair of jeans, a white shirt, or a sweatshirt can hold traces of a life — the habits, memories, and attachments that make something our own."
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